


A Howling Good Time

by truth_renowned



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-07-19 23:56:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7382671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truth_renowned/pseuds/truth_renowned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel meets the Howling Commandos, and he and Peggy enlist their help to uncover a HYDRA cell in the Alps. (Originally a one-shot from a tumblr prompt: A fic where Daniel meets the Howling Commandos.) Spoilers up to and including 2x10.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lillianmmalter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillianmmalter/gifts).



> For @lillianmmalter for suggesting a continuation of this one-shot. Thanks to @geekruminations for the brainstorming and awesome beta-ing.

“Peggy, are you sure this is the right place?”

Daniel looks around the seedy surroundings of the red brick building, a dark alleyway flanking the left and a vacant, crumbling gray stone structure on the right. The sign outside the building says, ‘Der Heulende Wolf’.

Peggy smiles. “‘The Howling Wolf’. Oh yes, this is it.”

They are in Switzerland, outside Lucerne, on a fact-finding mission. Rumors surfaced about HYDRA cells popping up all over Europe, specifically along the Alps, and the first person the Department of War called was Peggy Carter. The Alps made sense; it was the perfect hiding place for covert operations. Austria was the obvious choice, so she doubted that would be their first choice. That meant covering many miles along the Alps without bringing attention to herself.

She and Daniel are posing as newlyweds, traveling through Europe on their honeymoon. It’s not a complete lie; she and Daniel married two months earlier, witnessed by a justice of the peace, Howard and the Jarvises. For the purposes of the mission, they are Lucy and Charles Moore from Boston, Massachusetts. When in public, Peggy dons a blonde wig and glasses. Daniel leaves his naturally curly hair as-is, which is even curlier in the humid climate, and wears a fedora. There was nothing they could do to hide his use of a crutch, so they added another crutch and now call it an ill-timed skiing accident.

They step inside the building. Calling it a beer hall would be too generous. It’s tiny, dark, dirty and smells of stale cigars and years of spilled ale. Two men are seated at a table and both look up when Peggy and Daniel enter.

“You’re sure,” Daniel mumbles under his breath.

Peggy squeezes his hand, then looks to the man behind the bar, who nods toward the back. She and Daniel walk through a curtain, which reveals four men standing behind a table with rifles pointing at them.

“Jesus, Peggy, you know better than to do that,” says the man with a large red mustache and bowler hat. He nods to the other men and they lower their guns. “You look good as a blonde.”

The man motions to the table, and Peggy and Daniel sit as the four men take their seats.

“Daniel, I'd like you to meet the Howling Commandos.” She gestures to each man around the table: “This is Thomas ‘Dum Dum’ Dugan,” she says, pointing to the man with the mustache and bowler hat, “Percival ‘Pinky’ Pinkerton,” pointing to another mustachioed man wearing a beret, “Happy Sam Sawyer,” motioning to a frowning man with milk-chocolate skin.

Peggy stops when she gets to an imposing-looking man whose skin is darker than Sawyer’s and who is a full head-and-shoulders taller than Dum Dum. “I'm sorry, I don't know your name.”

Dum Dum hits his palm to his head. “Of course, you don't know our newest member. This is Bartholomew Watson. We call him Baritone.”

The man nods to Peggy, then Daniel. “Call me Barry,” he says in a smooth, deep voice with a friendly Southern accent. “I’ve heard so much about you, Miss. It's an honor to finally meet you.”

“It’s good to meet you, Barry. And please, call me Peggy.” She looks to Dum Dum. “I'm glad to see the Commandos are alive and well, and even recruiting.”

Dum Dum salutes her with his stein and takes a swig.

She puts a hand on Daniel's arm. “And gentlemen, I'd like you to meet Daniel Sousa. My husband.”

Dum Dum spews ale all over the table, some of it hitting Pinky in the face.

“Christ, Dugan!” Pinky wipes droplets from his cheek.

“Sorry,” Dum Dum says to Pinky, then turns his attention back to Peggy. “Really? Not a cover?”

“Well, it is a cover for this mission but it's also real. Two months new.”

“Well, knock me over with a feather. Congratulations, Peggy, Daniel.” Dum Dum shakes his head. “Never thought there was a man who could handle you besides…” He stops, then shrugs.

 _Besides Steve_ , she thinks. She looks at Daniel and knows he is thinking the same thing.

“Daniel and I have worked together for years, and… it grew into something more.”

“I tried to sweep her off her feet, but well…” Daniel smiles and motions to the crutches.

Pinky’s eyebrows rise. “Not a cover?”

“Afraid not,” Daniel says lightly.

“From the war?”

He nods. “Bastogne.”

Barry’s expression changes, not a hardening but a grim acknowledgement. The other three Commandos look at him.

Barry takes a drink from his stein, then says, “333rd FA Battalion.”

Daniel looks surprised. “Attached to the 101st?”

“Yes,” Barry says somberly. “Too many of us didn't make it out of that alive.” He offers his hand to Daniel. “Glad to meet another one who did.”

Daniel shakes his hand, obviously humbled. “Same here.”

“Small world,” Dum Dum says, taking another drink. “So what brings you to our neck of the woods, Peggy?”

“HYDRA.”

All four Commandos sit up straight and look at her.

“That’s a four-letter word around here,” Dum Dum says, smiling.

“He thinks he made a joke,” Happy Sam says, shaking his head. “HYDRA has five letters, Dum Dum.”

“What? No it doesn’t. H-D-R-A.”

“You forgot the Y, you numskull,” Pinky says, rolling his eyes. “H-Y-D-R-A.”

Peggy bites back a smile. “We’ve heard rumors that the Alps hold a special attraction to HYDRA. What have you heard?”

Happy Sam joins in. “We’ve heard the same thing but haven’t seen any action. Might be a smoke screen to throw everyone off the right track.”

“Could be,” Daniel says, “but we have to check the rumors out. We can’t take any chances.”

“Understood,” Dum Dum says. “We can put out some feelers, see what comes back.”

Peggy nods. “Nothing overt, though. We don’t want to tip anyone off. You can get a hold of us here.” She hands a business card to Dum Dum for Charles Moore, Daniel’s cover, along with a phone number that goes straight to Rose Roberts at the SSR.

Peggy rises from her chair, and all of the men at the table do the same.

Dum Dum looks at Peggy. “If you need any backup, you know how to get a hold of us.”

“If I need you,” she says, “I won't hesitate to ask. I promise.”

Dum Dum turns to Daniel. “You be sure to treat our Peggy right or we’ll come for you.”

“Yes, sir,” Daniel says, shaking his hand, then Pinky’s and Happy Sam’s.

“I'm heading back to camp,” Barry says. “I'll walk out with you.”

Peggy and Dum Dum walk in front, with Barry and Daniel several steps behind.

Dum Dum leans in slightly. “He's a good man, this husband of yours?”

“The best.”

“I can see in your face that you're happy, Peggy.”

“I am, Timothy. Finally, I am.”

“Good,” he says with a nod. “You deserve it.”

“Thank you.”

They walk in silence a few more steps, then he says, “Guess I can't call you Cap’s best girl anymore.”

“I'll always be Cap’s best girl. But now I'm Daniel's wife. An even bigger honor, if you ask me.”

He stops at the door and gives Peggy a big hug. “You take care of yourself.”

“You, too.”

“And tell that utter wanker hello when you see him.”

She laughs, knowing he means Howard. “I will.”

Daniel shakes Barry’s hand again, then he and Peggy walk out of the building. They have several blocks to walk to the hotel, but the weather is cooperating. It's brisk but not snowing.

“They're good men,” she says. “I trusted them with my life many times.”

“I'm grateful you had them. It's obvious they have a soft spot for you, especially Dugan.”

She smiles. “They will always be my guys.” She leans into Daniel and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “But my best guy is right here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 333rd Field Artillery Battalion was a unit of African-American troops during World War II, and they were part of the Siege of Bastogne.


	2. Chapter 2

The hotel is quaint but clean, the family operation of an older German couple and their six children. Herr and Frau Friedmann, as they insist on being addressed, are a jovial pair who always know their guests’ names.

Peggy and Daniel enter the hotel’s small lobby, and go directly to the front desk, where Herr Friedmann smiles at them. He is smartly dressed, with a bright red bow tie and tan sweater vest. His graying hair is parted severely almost at one ear and combed over to the other ear. It’s a failed attempt to cover up the obvious baldness beneath.

“Herr Moore, Frau Moore, you are doing well this fine evening, I do hope,” he says in his thick German accent. 

Peggy returns his smile. “Yes, we are, Herr Friedmann.” Her American accent is immaculate.

“Good, good,” Friedmann replies, handing Daniel a piece of paper. “You do have a message, Herr Moore. You are busy, no?”

“Business stops for no man,” Daniel says, adopting a convincing Boston accent and bombastic attitude as his cover. He looks at the message and sighs. “It's Rita. She can't find the Habersham file. I told her right where it was before we left.”

Friedmann smiles. “Frau Friedmann has prepared a delicious sauerbraten, if you have not dined.”

“That sounds divine,” Peggy says. “Would it be possible to get it sent to our room?”

“Of course, Frau Moore.” Friedmann picks up the phone and, in German, places two orders.

“I'm going to give Rita a call and read her the riot act,” Daniel says to Peggy. “Why don't you go upstairs, doll, and put on something more… comfortable.”

Daniel adds a wink to Friedmann and Peggy giggles. She turns to leave and, out of view of Friedmann, she shoots him a stern look. He’s going to pay for the ‘doll’ comment.

Peggy walks down the hall to their room and immediately gets to work. Habersham is the code word for an incoming message. First, however, she checks the lamps and other light fixtures in the room for listening devices. Once she determined it’s clear, she goes to her menagerie of matching luggage pieces. The trunk, satchel and travel case all have false bottoms, and each contains the parts to their telegraph and radio transmitter. She deftly assembles the pieces in the bathroom, out of the line of sight of the door.

She hears the door open and sticks her head out of the bathroom, letting out her breath when she sees it's Daniel. He closes the door and locks it.

“Did you get a hold of Rose?”

“Yeah, and she'll be sending the message in about thirty minutes. I told her to hold off until our dinner was delivered.”

“It's all set up and ready.”

“Thanks, doll,” he says, unable to keep a straight face.

“I'll ‘doll’ you, Herr Moore.”

He leans the crutches against the doorjamb to the bathroom and takes her in his arms. “What did you have in mind, frau? We do have a few minutes before the food arrives.”

Her hands wrap around his neck. “We’ll need more than a few minutes.” 

The kiss starts out sweet, even a bit chaste, but it grows in intensity in an instant. She knows many things about Daniel Sousa, and one of her favorites is his passion, for his work, for helping others, and, lucky for her, for his wife.

Her back hits the wall outside the bathroom and he leans his body into hers. Her hands go to his hair and brush through the curls. She loves his hair naturally, free of the greasy pomade he normally wears.

A knock at the door interrupts them, and she laughs. “Told you a few minutes wouldn't do.”

He groans and lets go of her as she goes into the bathroom and shuts the door, shielding the telegraph and transmitter from view. He grabs the crutches, moves to the room’s door and opens it.

“Thanks, kid,” Daniel says to the Friedmann’s youngest son, Johann, a gangly teenager with closely buzzed blonde hair.

“Certainly, Herr Moore.” He wheels a portable cart into the bedroom.

Daniel gives the teen a Swiss franc. “Make sure we are not disturbed for the rest of the evening. I got a broken leg but the rest of me works just fine.” Daniel smiles and winks at Johann. The kid blushes but nods, then hurries out of the room. Daniel locks the door behind him.

Peggy opens the bathroom door, the blonde wig now off her head, and she removes the last of the myriad Bobby pins holding her hair in place.

“You’re tormenting that poor child with your obnoxious ways.”

“It’s fun being an ass,” he says with a smile. “Must be how Jack Thompson feels.”

Peggy bites back a laugh as she moves the cloche-covered plates to the small table in the room. “Eat your dinner, _Charles_.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gives her a kiss on the cheek as he grabs the wine bottle and takes a seat.

They take their time eating, savoring every bite. Frau Friedmann is an exceptional cook. The sauerbraten is fork-tender, and the boiled potatoes and red cabbage are perfect companions. Silence fills the room, interrupted only by silverware clinking against porcelain and sips from wine glasses.

Just as they finish, a clicking sound comes from the bathroom. Peggy runs in to catch the message.

“Asking if we are here,” she says, clicking a message back. “Telling her we are and to proceed.”

Peggy is sitting on the toilet with the telegraph on the bathroom counter and the transmitter on the back of the toilet. Since there is not enough room for both of them, Daniel stands in the doorway. The scene is comical, but with their first message, they discovered that the radio transmitter worked best in the tiny bathroom.

The clicking begins again, and Peggy writes on a pad of paper on her lap, speaking each word as it comes through. “HYDRA cell in Jungfrau Region stop. Lauterbrunnen closest town stop. Phillips to confirm exact location twelve hours stop. New code Franklin stop.”

The clicking ends, and Peggy looks at Daniel, who picks up the atlas in his suitcase and sits on the end of the bed. Peggy turns off the transmitter, then steps out of the bathroom, approaching the bed.

“Lauterbrunnen is about seventy-five kilometers from here,” he says. “We can ask Friedmann tomorrow morning if it's accessible by car or if we have to take a train.” He looks at his watch. “It's nine right now.”

“So we have until nine tomorrow morning.” Her lips curl into a mischievous smile. “Twelve hours of free time. Whatever shall we do with it?”

“Sleep would be a good idea for some of it,” he says, holding out his hand. “I'm sure we can keep ourselves busy for the rest.”

She takes his hand, then turns around, pulling her hair away from her back and neck. He gets the hint, grasping the zipper and slowly dragging it down. His hands push the dress from her shoulders and it pools around her feet. His fingers move under the straps of black satin slip and push them off her shoulders, letting the garment fall. She steps away from the clothes and turns to face him, but not before eyeing the bedside table and the small paper packet sitting there.

“Think you're getting lucky tonight, Herr Moore?”

“Don't think it, I know it,” he says, his hands on her hips. “Dugan was right. You look good as a blonde, but you look even better as a brunette.”

Using his shoulders for leverage, she puts her knees on the bed, straddling his hips. “You think so?”

His hands burrow in her hair. “Don't think it, I know it.”

She lowers her head and their mouths meet in a bruising kiss. Hands and lips and tongues explore familiar territory. They break apart long enough for the remainder of her clothes to be shed, along with his sweater, shirt and undershirt.

Peggy moves onto the bed, lying down behind him. He still is within reach, her fingernails lightly tracing long paths down his back as he removes his pants. He shivers as he works the straps on the prosthetic, her nails becoming more insistent. Once the prosthetic is off and propped against the bedside table, he whisks off the final cloth barrier between them and lies next to her.

“Have I mentioned lately how much I love you, Mrs. Sousa?”

“Not in the past few hours, Mr. Sousa,” she says, her hands and mouth traveling over his bare skin.

As he rolls onto his back, she reaches for the condom packet and straddles him. “I love you, Daniel.”

“Show me,” he whispers.

And she does.


	3. Chapter 3

They are up and out of the hotel room early, having breakfast before the morning’s transmission. They are the only diners in the room and enjoy a meal of homemade breads and jams, and delicious cheeses and meats. Daniel finishes before Peggy and goes to the front desk to ask about travel to Lauterbrunnen. Herr Friedmann’s teenage daughter finishes clearing the table as Daniel enters.

He leans into Peggy and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “We have train tickets to Lauterbrunnen, leaves at nine-thirty. Train station is a few blocks from here.”

“How long is the ride?”

“About four hours. We’ll have a roomette in the sleeper car. I told Friedmann it was so you could continue your wifely duties during the train ride.”

Peggy’s eyebrow arches. “You do know I can take you out with one punch, right?”

“I’m joking,” he says with a laugh. “I told him I needed a place to stretch my leg out.”

“That’s better.” She puts a hand on his arm and casually looks down at his watch. “It’s almost nine.”

They leave the table and walk to their room. Daniel locks the door behind them while Peggy heads straight to the bathroom and turns on the transmitter.

“Dear, I’ll pack a bag for the train,” Peggy says in her American accent.

As she packs the satchel with a few items of clothing on top, and the atlas and additional weapons in the hidden compartment, Daniel checks the light fixtures. Peggy is certain that their cover is clean, but it never hurts to be safe. The reach of HYDRA’s tentacles is vast and they can't take a chance.

Peggy looks up from the satchel and he nods. She lifts her wool skirt, placing her gun in the garter holster. She glances over and catches him watching, a smile twitching on his lips.

“What?”

“Just admiring the scenery.”

She shakes her head and lowers her skirt just as the telegraph starts clicking. She rushes into the bathroom, clicking a quick message back. When she looks up, Daniel is in the doorway with the atlas in his hand. The telegraph starts again.

“Cell not confirmed but possible stop. Abandoned baryte mine two point two miles southwest of Staubbach Falls stop. Rough terrain stop. Observe and report only stop. Do not engage stop.”

“Looks like Staubbach Falls is southwest of Lauterbrunnen proper,” Daniel says, his finger tracing on the atlas. “Once we get to Lauterbrunnen, we’ll arrange for a car. That should get us to the falls, then we’ll hoof it from there.”

“ _I'll_ hoof it, Daniel.”

“You're not investigating on your own.”

“Did you forget your cover, Mr. Broken Leg?”

“Peggy, I can guarantee that we’re caught snooping around that mine, our cover will be blown anyway.”

She didn't have an answer for that, so she disassembled the transmitter and telegraph and packed them in the false bottom of the satchel.

“We should leave now,” Daniel says. “It'll take a few minutes to walk to the train stop.

Peggy nods, donning her coat then slinging the satchel over her shoulder.

It's freezing outside, certainly cold enough for snow but luck was with them, snowflakes just starting to descend as they walk up to the train platform. Daniel goes to the ticket booth and retrieves the tickets, bringing them to the train and handing them to the conductor.

The conductor smiles and tips his hat to Peggy. “Welcome aboard. Your roomette is second from the end in the third car.”

“Oh honey,” Peggy says in her sing-song American accent, “this is so exciting. I heard the scenery is breathtaking.” She turns to the conductor. “Is that true?”

“It will not disappoint, ma’am.”

“I even heard there’s a big waterfall.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the conductor says. “Staubbach Falls will be visible from the train as we approach Lauterbrunnen.”

Peggy adds a bright smile. “I’ve never seen a waterfall in person.”

Daniel pats her arm, then turns to the conductor. “Any chance we can drive to it, see it up close?”

Peggy gasps. “Oh, that would be wonderful!”

“Of course,” the conductor says, stepping away for a few seconds. When he comes back, he has something in his hand. “Here is a map of the area.” He opens it and traces a route with his finger. “Just follow this road and it will take you directly to the waterfall.”

Daniel looks at Peggy. “Would you like that, doll?”

Peggy smiles and hugs her husband, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I couldn’t ask for a better honeymoon!”

Daniel gives the conductor a wink and a smile. “Thanks, pal. I think you just made my train ride more eventful.”

The conductor’s eyes widen but he simply bows and gestures them down the hall.

“You’re enjoying this far too much,” Peggy mumbles to Daniel when they are several feet away.

They settle into the roomette, which lives up to its name. It’s barely a room, best for just one person.

“Cozy,” Peggy says, sitting down and opening the false bottom of the satchel. She grabs the atlas, then Daniel stashes the bag in the overhead. He starts to sit but is jerked back by the train starting to move. He ends up in Peggy's lap, catching himself on the wall so that his full weight didn't crash into her.

“Sorry.” He tries to get up but she wraps her arms around his waist.

“Don't be,” she says, nuzzling his neck.

“We have work to do.” He slides off her lap, settling onto the bench next to her.

“You're the one who said your train ride was going to be eventful.” She nips at his ear.

“Work first, play later, frau.” He kisses her chastely.

She smiles as she opens the atlas. Daniel unfolds the map, and they spread both out on their laps.

“So it looks like the train comes in about here,” Daniel says, placing his finger on the map. “Then we can take a car to the bottom of the waterfall.” His finger moves down and to the left.

“The mine is two point two miles southwest. Ideally we would park at the falls, as chances are there would be other visitors around.”

Daniel nods. “Then we walk the two-plus miles. You brought a compass?”

She opens her purse and pulls out what looks like a woman’s compact, the gold case intricately etched with a floral design. She clicks the top and it opens to reveal a compass.

Daniel nods in appreciation. “Nice.”

“I wish they had given us exact coordinates, though” she says. “‘Southwest’ covers quite a bit of territory.”

“Maybe it will be obvious once we get near. If we find guards, we’ll know something’s up.”

“True, but I would feel better with a precise location. I wonder if we can get reception out here.”

Daniel stands and gets the satchel. “One way to find out.”

Sitting on the floor, Peggy quickly assembles the transmitter and turns it on. She adjusts the dials, then sets up the telegraph and clicks out a message.

They wait for several minutes but get no answer. Daniel looks out the window and sees the mountain ranges surrounding them.

“Too much interference,” he said. “We’ll have to wait until there aren’t so many mountains.”

They spend the next hour mapping out their direct route, and Peggy keeps sending messages but to no avail.

“Why don't you take a rest, Peg. I'll man the telegraph. I know enough Morse code to say ‘hello, anyone there.’ I'll wake you if I get an answer.”

“You look just as tired as I do. You rest.”

Daniel puts his arm around her. “How about we both rest?”

She nods and snuggles her head on his chest. He kisses the top of her head and leans against the wall. The bench is long but narrow, not wide enough for both of them to lie down.

“I have a better idea,” she says, pulling away from him and moving to the other end of the bench, several feet away from him. “Stretch your legs out.”

He smiles, figuring out what she means. He lays his head on her lap, then puts his legs on the bench. There is just enough room for him to straighten out his legs. Her hand immediately goes to his hair, fingers tangling in the curls.

His eyes close and he hums his approval. “Much better idea. Knew you were the brains in this operation.”

“I thought I was the brawn,” she says, her other hand going to his chest, palm flat.

He puts his hand over hers, lacing his fingers with hers. “That, too. Not to mention beautiful.”

She smiles as she closes her eyes and leans her head against the window.

She's not sure how long they were asleep until a click awakens her. The lock on the sliding door to the roomette. Someone has unlocked it.

She moves her legs, causing Daniel to stir. She puts a hand over his mouth, shaking her head when he looks up at her. She points to the door. Quietly, he sits up, and she immediately goes for her gun under her skirt. Daniel grabs his gun from its holster. Both of them conceal their weapons behind each other and pretend to be sleeping, Peggy with her head on Daniel’s shoulder. She messes up the blonde hair of the wig, letting it fall over her face and allowing her to keep her eyes cracked.

The door slowly opens and a bald man, dressed in a black button-down shirt and black trousers, steps inside. He’s holding a gun and swings his arm to point it at them. Without moving her head, Peggy raises her gun and fires. The bullet hits the man in the shoulder. He stumbles backward, giving her time to crouch on the floor. The man fires back, the bullet lodging in the back of the bench, frighteningly close to Daniel’s arm. Peggy fires again and gets a direct hit to the same shoulder. The man reaches for the door, using it to propel himself outside the room.

Peggy gets up from the floor and runs after him, Daniel not far behind. Blood droplets map the man’s path, which is to the windowed door leading outside to the platform separating their car from the next. He pushes through it and slams it shut, looking back through the window. Peggy is a few steps from the door when a bullet hits the window, shattering it. Daniel pulls her back and turns, sandwiching her between himself and the wall.

Looking over Daniel’s shoulder, Peggy looks through the broken glass and spots the man edging his way to one side of the car. She lightly pushes Daniel back and moves through the door, fearing the man will climb the car to the roof. 

He sees her and fires, the bullet hitting the car’s frame next to her head. She fires back, missing. The man moves to the very edge of the car, not looking up at the roof but looking down, toward the rugged terrain below.

Peggy realizes what he is about to do. “No! Don’t!”

As he jumped from the train, she could hear him say, “Hail HYDRA!”

She doesn’t realize Daniel is behind her until he puts a hand on her arm. “You okay?”

She nods. “How did he know we were on this train?”

Daniel looks around. “We need to get back inside. If any of the rooms around us were occupied, someone had to have heard the shots.” He moves to the open door to the car and peers inside, nodding and motioning to her. They rush down the hall to their room, slip inside and shut and lock the door.

Peggy looks at the bench and the hole in the upholstery the bullet left, the bullet that had been so close to hitting Daniel. “How did they know? How did they find us?”

He takes her hand. “Our cover was blown somehow.”

“By what? Or who?”

He shakes his head. “It had to be from the hotel.”

“But the Friedmanns were thoroughly vetted,” Peggy says.

“The husband and wife were, but not the kids.”

“You think a teenager is a HYDRA sympathizer?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t go back to the hotel.”

“Then we’ll move forward,” she says. “It’s obvious we’re close to something. The fact that we were attacked on this train on the way to Lauterbrunnen means we’re on the right track. We need to check out that mine.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Peggy, we were just attacked. They know where we are and probably what we are about to do. They’ll be waiting for us.”

“Not if we go right away, as soon as we get to the train station.”

“We should wait--”

“No, we shouldn’t. They will assume that the operative completed his mission.” She grabs his arm and looks at his watch. “We have another two hours before we get to Lauterbrunnen. I’m assuming his orders were to check in as soon as he gets there.”

“That’s a lot of assuming, Peg. And he’s not going to check in, so they’ll be on alert. It’s going to take time to get a car.”

“Not if one is waiting for us.” She looks out the window, seeing just one mountain range in front of them, none to either side. She sits on the floor and turns on the transmitter.

“You’re messaging Rose?”

“No. I’m sending for backup.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super special thanks to Kar98k for the info on guns and military vehicles. You are awesome!

They arrive at the train station in Lauterbrunnen without incident. Luck was with them in that the two people who were in the same car were both in the dining car at the time of the gun battle. They left the train not knowing when, or if, the bullet hole in the upholstery was discovered.

Once off the platform, Peggy casually looks around, shifting the satchel to her other shoulder.

“They may not be here yet,” Daniel says under his breath. “They were more than two hours away.”

Peggy smiles and leans into Daniel under the guise of kissing him on the cheek. “You don't know how Pinky drives. Trust me, they made up the time.”

She continues looking, a placid smile on her face, like all the other tourists gawking at their surroundings. Behind a small grove of trees in the distance, she sees a flash of light. She focuses on the area and the light flashes again.

She wraps her arm around Daniel’s. “Honey, let's look around. There's so much to see!”

He looks at her, seeing the brightness in her eyes. “Sure, doll. Lead the way.”

She lets go of his arm and walks in the direction of the trees. Daniel, on both crutches, follows her. She keeps up the tourist act, turning around several times to marvel at the scenery.

When they are far enough away from the train platform, and the other tourists, she drops the act and walks behind the trees. Daniel is not far behind. She almost runs right into Dum Dum Dugan’s imposing form, and Daniel has to stop short to keep from bumping into her.

“Hi, Peggy, Daniel,” Dum Dum says.

Daniel takes in the sight before him. Dugan is wearing a long trench coat, and with his bowler hat, he looks like he could be an eccentric tourist.

Peggy nods. “Thanks for meeting us.”

“No problem,” Dum Dum says. “The guys and the vehicle are down a ways.”

He starts down an unmarked trail, and Peggy and Daniel follow. The terrain gets rockier, and Daniel has to watch where he is going. Peggy looks back twice to check on him, stopping the second time to wait for him to catch up.

“I'm fine, Peg,” he says. “If I could manage the New York subway, I can manage this.”

She smiles. “Just making sure you’re not lagging behind so you can check out my arse.”

“I’m always checking out your ass,” he says with a chuckle.

Peggy brushes a hand over his arm, then starts walking again. Past the trees, they round a corner, and Daniel sees the familiar drab-olive of an M3 Halftrack.

“This looks new,” Peggy says to Dum Dum.

“A recent acquisition.”

“Haven’t seen one of these in years,” Daniel says, walking around the side of the vehicle and back.

Dum Dum parts the canvas covering the back of the Halftrack. “We weren’t expecting you, so I’m afraid we don’t have any clothes.”

“We have the clothes covered,” Peggy says. “Some firepower would be nice, though.”

Dum Dum smiles widely. “You know we have that.” He pulls out two rifles, handing one to Daniel and one to Peggy. “M1A1 Thompsons. Your favorite, Peggy.”

“You certainly know the way to a girl’s heart, Timothy,” she says, taking the rifle and admiring it. “We’ll get changed and then we can get on the road.”

Dum Dum walks toward the front of the vehicle. Peggy digs in the satchel, removing clothes. She and Daniel quickly change into the dark clothing they had packed.

Peggy is dressed first and hops up into the back of the vehicle, holding the canvas aside. Once dressed, Daniel hoists himself to a seated position on the end of the Halftrack, then swings his legs around into the truck bed. He scoots his butt along the floor until he is in front of one of the six chairs, then lifts himself up and into the seat. Peggy sits next to him, nodding to Pinky, who is driving, and Happy Sam.

She bumps shoulders with Daniel. “I would have helped you.”

“I know, and I love you for not doing it.” His lips graze hers briefly until they are interrupted by Dum Dum and Barry.

“Hey, no making out in the Halftrack, kids,” Dum Dum says, taking a seat nearest the cab, and Barry sits next to him. “So you don’t have any other directions other than two point two miles southwest?”

The engine roars to life, and with a few jerky movements, they are on the road.

“Unfortunately not,” Peggy says. “We were unable to get reception until we contacted you. Couldn't get out to our people in the States, though. I’ll try again.” She opens the satchel and removes the transmitter.

Dum Dum laughs. “You call that a transmitter?” He digs around behind his seat and pulls out a transmitter three times the size of theirs. “ _This_ is a transmitter. You could reach the Earth’s core with this baby.”

“Trust you to have the biggest toys,” Peggy says with a smile. She gets out the telegraph, adjusts the transmitter to the correct frequency and clicks out a message, telling them about the incident in the train and asking for better directions.

Within a few minutes, the telegraph starts clicking on its own, and she relays the message.

“Exact location not confirmed stop. Situation too dangerous stop. Return stop. Locals will pursue stop.”

“Too bad we're already on our way,” Barry says.

Daniel looks at Peggy, who won’t meet his gaze. “We should turn around. This is a fact-finding mission, and we’ve found the facts. No sense in endangering six people.”

“No, we don’t know the facts,” she says. “We don’t know if there’s a cell, and if there is one, where it is.”

“Peg…”

Dum Dum stifles a laugh. “You haven’t figured out you can’t tell her what to do?”

“I figured that out years ago,” Daniel says. “I just keep trying, hoping that one day she’ll listen to me.”

“I’m right here, gentlemen.” She finally looks Daniel in the eye and she is none too pleased. “We should move forward. Once we find out about the cell, then we can head home.”

“Promise?”

She gives his hand a squeeze, which is as close to a ‘yes’ as he knows he will get. More like a ‘probably not,’ knowing his wife.

The vehicle comes to a stop, and with a few sputters, the engine goes quiet. A door creaks open, then slams closed. Within a few seconds, Happy Sam’s face appears through the part in the fabric.

“This is as far as we can go with the truck. Gotta walk the rest of the way.”

Peggy starts to get up but Dum Dum puts up a hand. “Let us take care of this. You two stay here.”

“Absolutely not, Timothy,” she says sharply. “This is my mission. I will take lead.”

Dum Dum sighs heavily. “Damn stubborn woman.”

“Damn straight,” she replies.

Daniel starts to get out of his seat but Dum Dum stops him. “The terrain must be pretty bad if we can’t drive it in this. Maybe it would be best for you to stay.”

Peggy visibly bristles. “Daniel is perfectly capable--“

“Peg, he’s right.” Daniel puts a hand on her arm. “I’d only slow you guys down. Go scout it out. You can come back and tell me if it’s passable.”

“I’ll stay with him,” Barry says.

Daniel shakes his head. “You don’t need to.”

“Yes, he does,” Dum Dum says. “We never leave a man alone.”

Peggy’s harsh expression says she is going to disagree but after several seconds, she finally concedes. “Thank you, Barry.”

Barry nods to her as Dum Dum jumps down from the truck.

Daniel takes her hand. “Behave yourself.”

“You know better than to tell me that,” she says, her lips briefly meeting his before she moves to the end of the Halftrack and jumps down.

Barry hands Dum Dum and Peggy their rifles, then closes the fabric.

“She’ll be fine,” Barry says as he sits across from Daniel. “She’s with the best.”

Daniel smiles. “I know, but trouble has a tendency of finding her.”

His smile widens as he hears, “I heard that” from outside the truck.

They sit in silence for several minutes, though not an awkward one. Daniel remembers all too well sitting in the back of transport vehicles, total silence as the he and the men around him mentally prepare for the mission. Running every scenario in their heads, hoping what they are about to do fits neatly into a predetermined game plan. Improvisation was the last thing any of them wanted.

Finally, Barry breaks the silence. “Probably thought you'd seen the last of the back of one of these.”

Daniel chuckles. “Last time I was in one, the outcome wasn't ideal.”

“Saw way too much of that.”

“What made you stay, join this group?”

“Unfinished business,” Barry says flatly. “Nazis were bad enough. Russians aren't much better, not to mention HYDRA. But you know about that.”

Daniel nods and opens his mouth to say something but the sound of crunching gravel stopped him. He looks at Barry; he heard it as well. Someone was outside the truck.

Quietly, Barry crawls to the very back, putting his ear next to the thin slit between the two columns of fabric. He grabs his rifle and gently sticks the tip outside. Nothing happens. He pushes the rifle out a little more. Nothing. Then a little more…

Suddenly, Barry jerks forward and out of the vehicle, the rifle still in his hands. The fabric flutters closed, and Daniel can see the outline of Barry’s body, the rifle gone from his hands. He hears a sickening thud and something, or someone, hitting the gravel.

Daniel keeps listening. He hears crunching of the gravel, moving away from the back of the vehicle and toward the front. As quietly as he can, Daniel lowers himself to the floor of the Halftrack and flattens himself out. A few seconds later, someone opens the passenger side door and looks inside. A man dressed in military-brown camo. The man starts speaking in Russian. His Russian is rusty, but Daniel can make out ‘empty’ and ‘here’.

Gravel crunches again, and another male voice says ‘Da.’ Both men are at the passenger side door, but neither is looking inside. Daniel moves quickly, scrambling outside the back, trying to minimize the sound of gravel under him while grabbing his rifle. He steps over Barry’s prone form and using the lip of the bumper as a crutch, he slowly moves to the passenger side of the back. He listens and, hearing nothing, peeks around the corner. Both men are huddled together, looking at something they must have found in the cab. Daniel lines up his shot and fires. One of the men drops from the direct hit to the head while the other raises his pistol and fires. Daniel pulls back, the bullet going through the canvas near his head.

He hears groaning on the ground next to him, which is Barry coming to, then the faint sounds of gravel being disturbed. Daniel quickly climbs in the back of the Halftrack, partially shielding himself with the fabric.

The crunching gets closer, even closer, then stops. Daniel can see a vague shape standing over where Barry should be. Daniel takes aim and fires through the canvas, hearing a groan and something hitting the gravel. He opens the canvas to see the Russian man down on one knee, blood pouring from his gun arm. He raises his gun and fires, missing Daniel by a wide margin. The recoil from his shot sends the man backwards, landing on his butt and his gun landing several feet from him.

Daniel scrambles down from the truck and limps over to the man, rifle aimed at the man’s head. The young man starts screaming in Russian, tears falling from his face. Daniel caught ‘wife’ and ‘child’. He turns the gun around, butt facing forward, and slams it into the man’s head.

“You get the license plate of that bus that hit me,” Barry says at the end of a groan, rubbing a hand over the growing lump on his forehead.

Daniel limps over to him and sits on the bumper. “There were two, and both have been taken care of.”

“I see that.” Using the bumper, Barry stands up, then shakes Daniel’s hand. “So much for me being here to protect you. Thanks.”

Dum Dum is the first to reach them. “We heard shots. What the hell happened?”

Peggy runs up beside Dum Dum, sees Daniel and heaves a sigh of relief.

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Barry says, turning to Peggy. “That husband of yours saved my skin. He can kick some serious ass.”

Peggy, normally the picture of professionalism, steps toward Daniel and takes his hand. “Yes, he can.”

Daniel doesn't miss the unshed tears in her eyes, and he squeezes her hand, letting her know that he's okay. He looks at Dum Dum. “They spoke Russian, so I'm assuming HYDRA.”

“Good assumption,” Dum Dum says. “We see signs that this may have been a base for something, though most likely not anymore. Found a generator but it hasn't been used in ages. We left Pinky and Happy Sam stationed outside the mine entrance. The terrain isn’t too bad.” He smiles. “I suggest we all go this time.”

Peggy leans her shoulder against Daniel’s. “Yes, some of us seem to find trouble.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Who are you?”

Peggy’s Russian is flawless and, adding the sharpness in her voice, she has the man’s full attention. Daniel had knocked him out long enough for them to shackle him to one of the chairs in the Halftrack using a pair of Peggy’s handcuffs. His legs are bound with rope.

“I am Mischa. I am here against my will.” His voice cracks, and tears well in his eyes. “They have my wife and daughter.”

Daniel catches his name and the Russian word for ‘wife’, so he looks to Dum Dum for translation.

“They’re holding his family. Typical Russian tactics. Kidnap the family to make him do their bidding. He must have some talent they find useful.”

“Why did you attack us?” Dum Dum tosses out, his Russian not as strong as Peggy’s.

Mischa looks from Peggy to Dum Dum. “We were on patrol. Our orders were to eliminate any threats.”

“The man who was with you,” Peggy says. “Is his family being held?”

“No,” Mischa says. “Nikolai is a soldier.”

Daniel catches ‘no’ and ‘soldier,’ which means the man he shot was HYDRA. He lets out a low sigh of relief.

“How many more of you are there, with families held against their will?” Dum Dum asks.

Mischa shrugs. “I know of only four but this is a big place. Hundreds of people.”

“Where is the base?”

Mischa lowers his gaze and shakes his head. “I can’t. They will kill my family.”

“If you help us and tell us where the base is,” Peggy says, “we will find your family. We will free them.”

The man looks up, eyes wide. “How can I believe you?”

Peggy’s face relaxes. “I give you my word. I’m afraid that’s all I have. What is being done to you and your family is wrong. I want to fix that.”

He looks at her, studying her face. After several seconds, he tips his head to Peggy’s right. “Another mine, roughly two miles, that way.”

“Their base is about two miles east of here,” Dum Dum supplies, looking at Daniel. “She’s got him on our side. I’d forgotten how good she is at this.” In Russian, he then asks Mischa, “Did you check in with your superiors when you found our truck?”

Mischa shakes his head. “No time. We found this and were immediately in combat.” He nods toward Barry, who is scowling at Mischa.

“Is your check-in overdue?” Peggy asks.

“No, but it is due very soon.”

“Where is your communication device?”

“There is a field phone hidden a few yards from here.”

Peggy nods and steps away from Mischa, with Dum Dum not far behind. Daniel can tell the wheels are turning in her head. A bad turning, he knows. The ‘we’re going to take this operation out despite what our orders are’ bad.

Dum Dum turns to Peggy. “So how do we play this?”

“First, he checks in with his superiors to keep them from sending reinforcements,” Peggy says.

Daniel still is skeptical. “He gave up that information pretty quick. You think he’s going to cooperate with us?”

“He will. I promised to help free his wife and daughter."

“That’s a tall order, Peg,” Daniel says, “especially when we should be stepping back and letting a recon team come in.”

Peggy flourishes around her with her arms. “The best recon team in the world is right here.”

The four Commandos straighten up, and Dum Dum nods his head.

“Be that as it may,” Daniel says, “we are supposed to be fact-finding, Peggy. Fact-finding only.”

“Bollocks.”

Daniel shakes his head. “Bollocks or not, you’re disobeying a direct order from Phillips.”

Dum Dum laughs. “Some things never change.”

“I don’t know,” Daniel says. “You sure this isn’t a trap? This guy could be playing us.”

Peggy shrugs. “He could be, but there was something in his voice that made you knock him out instead of shooting him.”

Daniel knows she’s right. The fear in Mischa’s face and tone when he uttered the words ‘wife’ and ‘child’ pierced Daniel’s heart. With a sigh, he concedes, though not happily. “I’m not going to talk you out of this, am I?”

She smiles and squeezes his hand. “My gut tells me this is the right thing to do.”

“You’re lucky I trust you and your gut.” 

His arm slips around her waist, and leans against him, shoulder to shoulder. 

“Hate to interrupt your moment,” Dum Dum says, “but we need to get this guy on the horn before his comrades come a’running.”

“Right,” Peggy says, pulling away from Daniel and walking back to Mischa. “When are you due back to the base?”

“Twenty-three-hundred,” Mischa says.

Dum Dum looks at his watch. “It’s just past eighteen-hundred-forty-five right now. We have about four hours. You thinking of going in when his patrol is up?”

“Yes, and he’s coming with us,” Peggy says, motioning to Mischa, “He’s going to get us inside and help us find the families.”

Daniel’s brow furrows. “And how is he going to do that?”

“We have four hours to figure that out,” she replies matter-of-factly.

Daniel closes his eyes and shakes his head.

Peggy opens the handcuffs, and she and Dum Dum accompany Mischa to the field phone, closely listening as he does his check in. What he had to say sounded legitimate and not code for danger, but they could not be sure.

“Sounded okay,” Dum Dum says as he re-fastens the handcuffs on Mischa. “Guess we’ll find out if it was.”

In the next three hours, Peggy, Daniel and the Commandos sit in the back of the Halftrack, with Happy Sam and Barry standing guard but within earshot. The team volleys ideas back and forth on how to get into the HYDRA base. Nothing clicks until just after the three-hour mark, when Peggy’s eyes brighten and she jumps down from the truck bed. Dum Dum and Pinky follow her, and she stops at the tarp-covered body of Nikolai. Daniel pulls the canvas in the Halftrack aside so that he can see what they are doing. Mischa, still handcuffed to one of the chairs, looks on curiously as well.

Peggy looks at Nikolai, then Pinky. “Mischa, how tall is Nikolai?” she asks in Russian.

Mischa shrugs. “I don’t know. About my height. Maybe 175 to 180 centimeters?”

Peggy looks at Pinky again, then Mischa. “Pinky, how tall are you?”

"About five-ten or so."

Barry shrugs. “They’re the same height. So?”

“So,” Peggy says, “from a distance, he could pass as Nikolai. There’s just one issue.” She runs a finger over the top of her lip.

Pinky squints, confused, then his eyes widen as he realizes what she’s suggesting. “No. Absolutely not. I am not shaving my mustache.”

“It will grow back,” Peggy says.

“No.” Pinky adds a pout for effect. “I won’t do it. This mustache is my trademark.”

Dum Dum laughs heartily. “Son, that’s not a mustache.” He twirls the hairs on the end his own impressive facial hair. “What you have is some peach fuzz on your lip. Peggy’s right, it will grow back. Maybe it will grow back into a real mustache this time.”

“Pinky, admit it,” Peggy says. “It’s a good plan. You’re the right height and weight. We put you in his uniform and hat, and voila. You’re Nikolai, for the most part.”

“But once they see him up close, they’ll know it’s not him,” Happy Sam says.

Daniel chimes in. “What if Peggy and I go in as tourists who were caught wandering too close to the base? We have the clothes and disguises with us. We can cause a scene, and that will keep eyes off Pinky and Mischa.”

Peggy smiles. “Brilliant, Daniel!”

“But if you two go in as captives,” Barry says, “that means we have to give Mischa his gun for it to be convincing.”

Peggy shrugs. “That’s fine. We take the rounds out of his gun. If he turns on us, which I don’t think he will, Daniel and I will be armed, and Pinky will be right there.”

“You know,” Dum Dum says, “that’s almost crazy enough to work.”

Pinky sighs dramatically. “Son of a bitch. Someone hand me a razor.”


	6. Chapter 6

The Howling Commandos -- with the addition of Peggy, Daniel and their captive, Mischa -- walk single-file along the unmarked trail. It’s an uphill trek, not the easiest for those in shape, but even more challenging for Daniel. He’d decided to take both crutches, because of the cover and it does make him steadier, but with small rocks constantly slipping out from under the rubber stops, he almost topples several times. But not once does he complain, Peggy realizes. Not that it surprises her; it doesn’t. Daniel is a stoic man who never lets anything get in his way, missing leg or not. She smiles as she remembers his story to her in the file room at the New York SSR, and the chaplain getting rid of his belongings: _Still missing half my stuff. Can’t find my leg anywhere._ Even then, he never let that stop him. Just one of countless reasons why she loves Daniel Sousa with all her heart.

Dum Dum had warned Mischa that he could have his Mauser Kar98k rifle back but it would have no ammunition. Peggy added in that if he double-crossed them, she would be the first to put a bullet in his head and that they would abandon their search for his family. Of course, the last part was not true; they would find the families being held captive regardless. The first part, about shooting him, however…

“How much farther?” Happy Sam mutters.

“You’re such a cry baby,” Pinky says. “At least you didn’t have to shave off your mustache.”

Happy Sam sighs. “Great. We’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Hush,” Peggy says forcefully. “We all know the plan, right?” She sees nods from everyone except Mischa, so in Russian, she says, “You are clear on your mission, Mischa?”

“Da,” he says with a curt nod.

Peggy sidesteps a sizable rock just in time, and she slows to make sure Daniel misses it as well. Heels and a skirt are not the ideal hiking clothes, and Daniel is struggling even more because of his slippery civilian dress shoes, but it’s necessary to pull off the plan. 

Mischa stops and points to the mountainside, and in Russian, says, “The mine is here. The rear entrance is around this bend. It is less traveled than the other entrance.”

Peggy nods. “In formation, everyone.”

Pinky directs Mischa to stand in front of Daniel and Peggy. He will go first, with Pinky bringing up the rear.

“You have the handkerchief?” Peggy asks Pinky.

He shows it to her and places it over his mouth. 

Peggy nods, then turns to Dum Dum, Happy Sam and Barry. “Wait for my word. What is it again, Thomas?”

Dum Dum looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Uh…”

Happy Sam shakes his head. “‘You are treating…’”

“Oh!” Dum Dum smiles and nods. “When Peggy yells, ‘You are treating us like criminals’, we storm in.”

Peggy returns Dum Dum’s smile. “Remember, no guns unless necessary. We don’t want to call attention to ourselves until we know what we’re up against.”

“Show time,” Daniel says. 

Peggy gives Daniel a peck on the lips, then stands next to him. She nods to Mischa and then Pinky, and they move forward.

“Who are you horrible people?!” Peggy adopts her American accent and an indignant tone. “I demand to be taken to the U.S. Embassy.”

“Honey,” Daniel says in his Boston accent. “Calm down or one of them is gonna shoot us.”

“They can't do that! We are American tourists. Isn't there something in the Geneva Convention about that?”

They turn to the right and directly into two armed men, both dressed in olive-drab fatigues.

“There's more of you?!” Peggy grabs Daniel’s arm. “Oh God!”

One of the armed men looks at Mischa and in Russian says, “Who are they?”

Mischa responds in Russian, his voice strong. “Sir, they wandered too close to the other mine.” He nods to Daniel. “This one hit Nikolai in the face and throat with a crutch.”

Pinky nods, the handkerchief that is dotted with Nikolai’s blood covering his nose and mouth. He rasps out a sound to prove that he could not talk.

Peggy carefully listens to the exchange and deduces that the person to whom Mischa is talking, a tall but skinny dark-haired man with a large scar running the length of his left cheek from eye to jaw line, is in charge of the scouts. Physically, he was not at all intimidating but he put on the tough-guy ruse for his subordinates. Not impressed, Mr. Scarface, Peggy thinks.

Scarface’s sneer doesn’t need translation. “Why did you not take care of them in the woods?”

“They said they have money and would pay to be released,” Mischa tells him.

Scarface looks for confirmation with Pinky, who nods in agreement. Peggy picks up on this immediately. Mischa was right; Nikolai is the soldier and would have more credibility in the eyes of superiors. This might be a bit more difficult if Scarface insists on conversing with Pinky.

The other man with Scarface seems to be nothing more than decoration. He looks out of place, and Peggy wonders if he is another being held against his will. She looks beyond them into the mine entrance. As far as she can tell, Scarface and the other one are the only people around. However, there could be more close by. If they can do this without gunfire, it would be best.

“Look,” Peggy says, her indignation back, “we don't speak… whatever it is you are speaking.” She gestures between herself and Daniel. “Americanos.”

“Dear, we’re in Switzerland, not Spain.”

She looks at Daniel sharply. “I know that.”

“Russian,” Scarface says.

Peggy looks surprised, which really, she is. She wasn't expecting someone so low on the totem pole -- which the leader of scouts and guards would be -- to speak English.

“You can understand me? Well, why didn't you say so earlier? We demand to know why we are here!”

“Trespassing,” was Scarface’s response.

“Yeah, well, we didn't see no signs,” Daniel says. “Did you see a sign, honey?”

Peggy shook her head. “Absolutely not. We didn’t see any signs.”

“Two signs,” Scarface says. “No trespassing.”

“Well, we certainly didn’t see them. Now if you would be so kind as to take us to the U.S. Embassy, I’m sure this can be worked out.”

Scarface shakes his head. “You pay first.”

So he did fall for the bait, Peggy thinks. He may be HYDRA but that doesn’t mean he’s not on the take.

Daniel leans one of the crutches under his arm and reaches for his back pocket. Scarface and the other man -- and Mischa, a split-second behind them -- point their guns at him.

“Hey, whoa,” Daniel says, his hand up. “I was just reaching for my wallet. Money.” He slowly removes the wallet and opens it. “How much?”

Scarface nods. “All of it.”

“Greedy bastard,” Daniel mumbles.

Peggy sees that Scarface and the other man are staring at Daniel, and she sighs dramatically. “I just don’t understand. You are treating us like criminals!”

Suddenly, Dum Dum and Barry are behind Scarface and the other man, guns at their heads. Happy Sam appears behind Pinky.

“Say one word and you’re dead,” Dum Dum says in Russian to the two men.

“About damn time,” Happy Sam says. “Never thought you were going to say it.”

Dum Dum raises the butt of his rifle and roughly brings it down on Scarface’s head. The man drops, unconscious. Barry pulls rope from his backpack and ties up the man, adding a cloth gag for effect.

“Not him,” Mischa says in Russian. “He is like me. His wife and two children are here.”

“We may have another ally.” Peggy looks at the man. “We are here to free the families,” she says in Russian. “You are with us or you are dead. Your choice.”

Mischa nods at him. “They are here to help, Arnaud.”

Pinky drops the handkerchief. “Arnaud?” He says in French: “Do you understand me?”

Arnaud nods and responds in French. “Yes. You can free my family? Do you have more troops?”

“No,” Pinky says, “but we are the best you’ll find.”

Arnaud switches to Russian. “It is not possible. There are a hundred men here, maybe more.” He looks at Mischa. “They will get us all killed.”

“I trust them,” Mischa responds. “I do not know why, but I do.”

Dum Dum levels his gun at Arnaud, and in Russian, says, “But we don’t trust you.” He motions to Barry. “You cover him. First move that looks wrong, shoot him.”

“Got it,” Barry says, his gun taking the place of Dum Dum’s at Arnaud’s back.

Peggy looks at Mischa. “Where are the families?” she asks in Russian.

“About five hundred feet down is a tunnel, on the right,” Mischa says. “All the way to the end. A large cage secured into the rock. There are cots, a small toilet.”

“How many people are in there?”

“A dozen or so,” Mischa says.

Peggy translates: “On the right is a tunnel. A dozen people, in a cage, he says.” She asks Mischa and Arnaud in Russian, “How many men will we encounter?”

Arnaud shrugs. “One man guards the families. Men come and go in these tunnels. It could be no one and it could be ten.”

“We may have company along the way,” Peggy translates. “Try to take care of any issues without gunfire. We don’t want any unwelcome visitors.” 

Happy Sam nods. “So how do we do this?”

“Mischa and Arnaud lead,” Peggy says. “Pinky, you right behind them, keep your Nikolai cover as much as you can. Barry, right behind them. Thomas, you and I take the rear. Daniel and Sam, cover left and right.”

Dum Dum smiles. “Sure is good to have you back, Peggy.”


	7. Chapter 7

Peggy gives Mischa, Arnaud and Pinky a head start, putting up her hand to halt the remaining team members. After the trio take a dozen steps forward, she lowers her hand and the rest of the team start walking in a modified circle formation. Daniel and Barry face out to the sides, and Peggy and Dum Dum cover the rear. Just inside the entrance, Daniel stashes the second crutch in an indentation in the rock, hidden in the shadows.

For being a mine, the place is pin-drop quiet. Every tiny sound they make as they walk echoes off the walls. Peggy doesn’t need to tell them to be quiet; they all instinctively know what to do.

After several hundred feet covered and no sight of anyone else, Mischa motions to his right; the tunnel is the one they want.

The tunnel is dimly lit with small spotlights nailed into the rock walls. The spotlights are sparsely placed, leaving several shadowed areas along the tunnel. It's a wide area, almost as wide as the main tunnel they just left, but not nearly as long.

Each step they take in, a female voice gets louder. Peggy realized it’s singing. It's a beautiful voice singing a soothing melody in Russian. The voice gets much louder as they come upon a bend in the tunnel.

Peggy moves in front of the group and peeks around the corner. Mischa was correct; there is one guard. Peggy raises a hand, halting them. She nods to Mischa, Arnaud and Pinky, prompting them forward while other others continue to hold back. The guard does not seem alarmed to see the three, especially since Pinky still is dressed in their olive-drab uniform as Nikolai.

Mischa approaches the guard. “I would like to see my family.”

“It is not time yet,” the guard says.

Mischa approaches the cage, walking in front of the guard and making him turn his back to Arnaud and Pinky.

“It is not time,” the guard repeats. “You must--”

His words are cut off when Pinky hits him in the head with the butt of his rifle. Arnaud grabs the keys from the guard’s belt as the rest of the team come out of the shadows.

Mischa had said there were a dozen people. He was right, but Peggy still stopped in her tracks upon seeing how many of them are children. Just four adults and the rest are children, and the majority must be under the age of five. The conditions in which they are living send a wave of sadness through Peggy: several cots with sheets and pillows, most currently occupied by children, and a few buckets pushed against the far wall. The buckets must be emptied on a regular basis because the stench is not overwhelming.

Mischa put up his hands, trying to quiet the rumblings in the cage. “Please be quiet. We are here to free you.” He grabs the key from Arnaud and opens the door. A woman immediately runs to him, and he embraces her.

“Папа,” a little girl about five years old says, running from a cot toward Mischa. He scoops her up in his arms.

A woman and two young children run toward Arnaud, and he hugs all three.

“This is touching and all,” Dum Dum says in Russian, “but we need to get out of here.” He, Daniel and Barry go into the cage to help get the children out of the cots and gather their meager belongings.

As the women and children start to file out, Peggy wonders why they are holding their families. What is it that each of these men offers that demands them being captured and holding their families as collateral? The curiosity is too much for her.

“Why are they here?” she asks Mischa in Russian. “Why are _you_ here? Do you have a special skill that they need?”

“For Arnaud and I, we are biochemists and worked on chemical warfare in the war. They found us and took us and our families for our knowledge. The others, I am not sure.”

“Why are you guards then?”

He shrugs. “We are expected to prove ourselves to the cause, with our brains and our muscle.”

The explanation satisfies Peggy, though she can't help wonder how HYDRA learned of Russian biochemists and what they were working on that required their expertise.

Out of the corner of her eye, Peggy notices Mischa whispering something to Arnaud, and Arnaud nods. She hopes they are determining an escape plan because honestly, she hadn’t thought that far in advance. Get in, get the captives, get out any way they can. It sounded good at the time but upon seeing how many young children they have to get out of here, she wishes she’d thought of a more solid plan.

Peggy motions to Pinky to follow her, walking toward the three women and six children huddled together several feet down the tunnel, waiting for direction. She stops behind them, thinking of their exit strategy.

“You want me, too?” Happy Sam asks.

“No, you, Thomas, Barry and Daniel take the rear.”

He nods, waiting for the last of the children and one adult to leave the cage.

After the last of the captives are with the others, Peggy says in Russian, “Mischa, Arnaud, you two and Pinky will lead us out. If you know a faster way out of this mine, now would be the time to share.”

Peggy watches as Barry exits the cage, Daniel close behind. Suddenly, Arnaud grabs the rifle from Happy Sam’s hands and puts him in a headlock. Mischa takes Sam’s rifle and points it to his head. The entire team raise their guns at the same time, all pointed at Arnaud and Mischa. The women gasp and try their best to block the children’s view.

That's what they were whispering about, Peggy realizes. Neither of their rifles was loaded so they had to get one, and they procured a hostage as well.

“Bloody hell,” Peggy mumbles.

“Guns down,” Mischa says forcefully in Russian. “I will shoot him. Galina, keep the children quiet.”

Peggy points her rifle directly at Mischa. “I will not hesitate to shoot you. Do you want to be killed in front of your daughter?”

“If it helps her and my wife escape, yes.”

“Give him your pistol,” Arnaud says in Russian to Happy Sam.

Happy Sam sneers. “I don’t understand you, asshole.”

“He wants your pistol, Sam,” Dum Dum says from the cage where he still stands. “Better hand it over.”

Sam sighs and digs out the pistol from his under his shirt. He hands it, butt down, to Mischa, who grabs it and pockets it.

“The rest of you,” Mischa says in Russian. “Guns on the ground and slide them to me. You, in the cage, slide your gun out here. Carefully.”

“Now!” Arnaud whispers roughly in Russian.

“Guess that saying about no honor among thieves is true,” Happy Sam mumbles.

Daniel and Barry lower their guns to the ground, and Barry slides them toward Mischa. Dum Dum slides his gun out of the cage as well. Reluctantly, Peggy lowers her gun, and Pinky follows suit.

Mischa motions with his head. “In the cage.”

As Peggy walks toward the iron bars, Mischa says, “I am sorry. You did help us and we are grateful but we need time so they will not follow us.”

“You know that’s not true,” Peggy says in Russian as she steps inside the cage, standing next to Daniel. “You know about this operation, what they are doing here. They will find you and kill you for what you know.”

Mischa shakes his head. “But dealing with you will take time, time we need to escape.”

“They will keep looking for you,” she says. “You know that.”

Mischa hesitates but closes the cage door and nods to Arnaud.

Peggy's eyes widen. “Wait, what are you doing with Sam?” she asks in Russian.

“He will be our shield,” Arnaud replies. “If he survives, we will release him once we get clear of here.”

Sam realizes what is happening and sighs. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

Peggy couldn't disagree. It was a big risk having the enemy help them, a risk that may cost Happy Sam Sawyer his life.

Mischa and Arnaud have a hushed conversation for several seconds before Mischa looks directly at Daniel and says, in Russian, “We need the money you have. Throw it out here.”

“They want the money,” Peggy translates.

Daniel looks at her, then slowly retrieves the wallet from his back pocket. Part of their cover was to look like a rich couple. He takes the nearly one thousand dollars from his wallet and carelessly tosses it through the bars. It scatters on the ground and Arnaud sneers, pulling the choke hold he has on Sam tighter, so tight that Sam is struggling to breathe.

Mischa does not lower the gun, instead pointing it directly at Daniel while he bends to pick up the bills. He returns to Arnaud and removes Sam's pistol from his pocket. He hands it into Arnaud, who loosens his grip on Sam and moves toward the women and children. Arnaud whispers something to the woman who hugged him earlier, and she starts ushering the others down the tunnel.

“They will find you,” Peggy says in Russian. “They will find you and kill you and your family, and the other families. These are ruthless people. You know this to be true, Mischa.”

Mischa’s mouth twitches but he says nothing. His gun still trained on Daniel, he waits for another full minute before slowly backing away. Peggy realizes he must think -- and correctly so -- that the team has additional guns hidden on their persons, so turning his back on them would be a mistake. He also knows that Peggy is in charge, and he’s seen enough interaction between the team members to know her weakness: Daniel.

Mischa fires one shot at his target, then turns and runs down the tunnel.


	8. Chapter 8

“Daniel!”

Peggy grabs her husband, pulling him to her as she searches for injury.

Daniel puts his hand on her arm. “I'm okay, Peg, I'm okay. He missed.”

“No, he didn't,” Dum Dum says, his voice strained.

Daniel and Peggy turn to Dum Dum, who is leaning against the bars to the right of Daniel, and who has a dark patch blooming on the upper arm of his fatigues.

“Timothy!”

Peggy steps around Daniel and immediately rips the fabric where the bullet hole is on Dum Dum’s sleeve. She feels around on his arm before declaring, “The bullet’s still in there. I need something to tie off his arm.”

Barry whips off his belt and hands it to her. “This work?”

“Perfectly,” she said, fastening the belt on his arm as tightly as it will go.

Dum Dum winces. “Get it outta there, Peggy. You know what to do.”

She nods. “Anyone have a lighter or matches?”

Pinky digs in his pocket and produces a book of matches. “I’ll get to work on that lock.”

Daniel watches as he pulls out two tools from his jacket, tools that look suspiciously like the lock picks Peggy has.

Daniel looks at Peggy with a questioning eye.

She smiles. “Where do you think I learned how to pick locks?”

“From the best, of course,” Pinky says with a prideful grin.

Peggy examines the wound on Dum Dum’s arm again. “You still have Cat?”

“Never leave home without her,” Dum Dum says with a weak smile.

Using his good arm, he retrieves a knife embedded in a leather sheath. “Cattaraugus 225 Q. This girl has saved my life more than a few times.”

“And will one more time,” Peggy says, taking the knife and handing it to Daniel. She lights a match and waves it over the tip of the knife in a feeble attempt to sterilize it.

Peggy looks Dum Dum in the eye. “Ready?”

“No, but do it anyway.” He takes the end of the belt wrapped around his arm and bites down on it.

Peggy feels the bullet hole one more time and pushes the knife in. Dum Dum growls and leans more heavily against the bars, and Barry comes up behind him to steady his friend by the shoulders.

She moves the knife around, minute movements that after several seconds result in the bullet peeking out of the wound. She removes the knife and plucks the bullet out, handing it to Daniel.

“Want a souvenir?” Daniel asks with a light smile.

Dum Dum chuckles with a wince. “Keep it. It can commemorate your first mission with the Howling Commandos.”

Peggy turns to Daniel. “Could you give me your shirt?”

“Really? Right here, Peg?” 

She scoffs as he chuckles to himself. He removes his coat and sweater, then quickly unbuttons his dress shirt and hands it to her.

She wraps the shirt around Dum Dum’s upper arm, tying it tightly with the sleeves. “That should hold you until we can get out of here and find help.”

Dum Dum puts his good arm around her shoulders. “Thanks, Peggy.”

“Got it,” Pinky says, the lock making a loud click. He pushes the door open and runs to the pile of guns still on the ground.

Barry is right behind him. “At least they didn't take all of them. Dugan, looks like they got your Thompson.”

“Wouldn’t do me much good,” Dum Dum says. “My firing arm is out of commission. Good thing I have my Walther and I'm amphibious.” He pulls the pistol from its holster hidden by his jacket.

“Timothy,” Peggy says, valiantly trying to keep a straight face, “it's ambidextrous, not amphibious.”

Dum Dum looks at her. “Oh.”

Peggy shakes her head, then picks up a rifle and hands it to Daniel. She picks one for herself. “Pinky, you and Barry flank Timothy. Daniel and I will take lead.”

“I take it we’re not worried about the sound of gunfire,” Pinky says.

Peggy shakes her head. “Our number-one goal is to get out of here alive. Number two is to get Sam back.”

They move quickly down the tunnel, on alert but well aware that they had to get out in a hurry. Mischa’s shot no doubt reverberated through the entire mountainside, a siren’s call to the soldiers within its depths.

They make it to the end of the tunnel without incident, though the echoes of men giving orders get louder. 

Peggy peeks around the tunnel exit, first to the right. “About a dozen on approach. Daniel, you ready?”

He hefts the rifle to his shoulder and props his crutch against the wall. “You down low, me up top.”

She grins. “My favorite position.”

“Peg,” he says, grateful that the others didn’t hear her and that the shadows could hide the flush creeping into his cheeks.

Peggy chuckles, then her expression flattens out. “Go.”

She drops to one knee and swings her gun around the corner. Daniel stands over her and does the same, both of them firing in tandem. Their shots hit some targets but more importantly, they keep the approaching men at bay.

“Go! We’ll cover you,” Peggy yells to Dum Dum, Barry and Pinky.

The three men start moving out, but Dum Dum stops. “Wait,” he says, holstering his pistol and digging into his jacket. He pulls out a grenade, yanks the ring with his teeth and tosses it toward the approaching men. Various Russian words were yelled: ‘Grenade!’ and ‘Get down!’ were the most heard.

Five seconds after Dum Dum lobs the grenade, an explosion rocks the tunnel. Surprisingly, it does little damage to the tunnel itself, but it did have the desired effect in their pursuers. 

Daniel sees Peggy look behind them. “We still have company,” she says, “but not nearly as much as before. Pick up those knees, boys, because we need to move. Pinky, Barry, take lead.”

The team runs toward the tunnel exit. Pinky and Barry go first, guns ready in case they have company outside the tunnel. Dum Dum is next, with Peggy and Daniel at the rear. Peggy and Daniel keep firing, picking off the remaining assailants one by one.

“We’re clear,” Peggy says, “at least, for now.”

Dum Dum slows slightly, enough for Daniel to catch up to him. He nods to Daniel’s crutch. “You move pretty fast with that thing.”

“Helps having people chase you,” Daniel says.

Dum Dum smiles as he starts moving faster. Daniel can tell by the grimace on the man’s face that he’s in pain, but he never utters a word. No wonder Peggy has the utmost respect for this guy.

By the time Peggy, Daniel and Dum Dum reach the mine’s exit, Pinky and Barry already are outside, flanking the large hole.

“All clear,” Barry says. “Got any more grenades, Dugan?”

Dum Dum looks at him, insulted. “Of course, I do. Who do you think you’re dealing with?” He pulls another grenade from his jacket, pulls the ring and tosses it. 

They don’t wait around to see what happens; the entire team is clear of the mine exit before the explosion hits. Only Daniel turns around to see if the coast is clear, which it is. 

Pinky and Barry start running, leaving Daniel, Dum Dum and Peggy several steps behind. Daniel has to be careful with the terrain, and he can see that Dum Dum is starting to fade. The shirt wrapped around the wound is covered in blood, even with the belt as a tourniquet.

“Peggy,” Daniel says, “head back to the truck with them. I think we’re clear as far as anyone chasing us.”

Peggy shakes her head. “Nonsense. We don’t know if any guards were on patrol. The three of us go as a group.”

“Told you,” Dum Dum says, “she’s a damn stubborn woman.”

Daniel smiles and looks at his wife. “I wouldn’t have her any other way.”

The more distance they put between them and the mine, the better Daniel feels. There still is a chance that they will have pursuers but it gets slimmer with each passing minute. Peggy is a few steps ahead of Dum Dum and her husband, her rifle sweeping left and right. Daniel watches her movement; he can tell it’s instinct. She’d seen combat in the war with this team of men and, even though it was many years ago, she still had the precision of an elite soldier. He couldn’t be prouder to call this woman his wife.

Peggy puts out a hand, halting them, then nods to a large tree to their left. Daniel sees it: a shadow behind the tree trunk. All three of them point their guns as the shadow moves. A man comes into view, hands up.

“It’s me. Don’t shoot.”

“Sam!” Peggy says, which alerts Pinky and Barry. Both men turn around and come back.

Barry claps his hand on Sam’s back. “Good to see you alive. How did you get away?”

Sam shrugs. “It was easy. They were too busy trying to corral screaming kids to pay attention to me. I was gone almost as soon as we left the mine.”

“They are biochemists, not kidnappers,” Daniel says. “Way out of their league having a hostage.”

Sam sneers. “You’re not kidding. They couldn’t even handle five-year-olds.”

“Glad you’re back, Sam,” Pinky says. “Now let’s all of us get the hell out of here.” 

They move as quickly as they can, with Barry and Pinky several dozen steps ahead of them.

Suddenly, Peggy stops in her tracks. “Wait!” She pauses until Barry and Pinky stop. “We may have a problem. Mischa knows about the truck.”

Daniel nods, understanding exactly what she means. “Which he might try to steal.”

“Barry, you and Pinky go ahead,” Peggy says. “If they're at the truck, do not engage unless they have it started. No guns. It will scare the children, not to mention, it'll alert any guards. Hold until the rest of us get there.”

Barry and Pinky nod and start running. 

Dum Dum looks at Peggy. “You really think they'll chance taking the truck?”

“It's easy transport for the kids,” she says, “and it's equipped with more weapons.”

Daniel nods. “It's their ticket out of here. That and the cash I gave them.”

Dum Dum somehow finds new strength as he quickly walks past Daniel and Peggy. “Then let's make sure they don't get either of them.”


	9. Chapter 9

Daniel, Peggy, Sam and Dum Dum catch up to Pinky and Barry, who are holding back behind a grouping of trees. 

“They’re at the truck, trying to hotwire it,” Barry whispers. “It’s not going well for them.”

Peggy peeks around a tree and sees the driver’s side door open, a pair of legs sticking out underneath.

“He’s been at it the whole time we’ve been here,” Pinky says quietly.

Peggy does not see any of the women and children; she assumes they are in the back. She also does not see the other man, Arnaud, which puts her on alert.

She points to Sam and Pinky, then motions for them to head to the passenger side of the truck. She then points to Dum Dum and Barry, and motions for them to walk toward the back. She motions between Daniel and herself, then points to the driver’s side. She holds up a hand with three fingers up, and she counts down to one, then points forward. 

They all move out, keeping their feet as light as possible to avoid the sound of crunching gravel. She and Daniel move more slowly, letting the others get in position first. Peggy puts her rifle on the ground next to Daniel, then creeps up to the driver’s door. She leans down and grabs the two legs peeking out, then quickly picks up her rifle and points it at who turns out to be Mischa. He looks shocked, and he immediately raises his hands in surrender.

Pinky and Sam join her and Daniel on the driver’s side, guns all pointed at Mischa. Peggy motions to Sam to head to the back of the truck to help Dum Dum and Barry.

“On your knees,” Peggy bites out to Mischa in Russian, motioning with her rifle. She waits for him to do so before continuing. “You shot one of my men. You are trying to steal our truck.”

Mischa lowers his head. “I did not shoot to kill.”

“You think that matters?” Peggy’s voice is getting higher and her posture getting tenser. “I should shoot you right now.”

“You have every right to shoot me. I wish you would not, with all of the children here. They have seen more violence already than any child should.”

Peggy bites her lip. Mischa is a smooth talker when he wants to be. She’s underestimated his intelligence and savvy. “Where is Arnaud?”

Dum Dum peeks his head around the back of the truck. “We’ve got him, Peggy.”

She looks back at Mischa. “We were trying to help you,” she says. “Why did you double-cross us, Mischa?”

“I told you. We needed time to escape. We didn't think that you could get all of us out alive.”

“You thought wrong,” she replies sharply. “You will face charges for shooting an American citizen on Swiss soil. Now stand up.”

Mischa does as she says, and Pinky grabs him by one arm. Barry appears from behind the truck and tosses rope to Pinky, who catches it and he and Daniel tie Mischa’s hands behind his back.

“What should we do?” Daniel asks Peggy. “We can’t leave the kids and women here while we take the men into custody, and we can't leave the men here, either.”

Peggy nods. “I know. Let me think.”

She doesn’t get the chance, as she hears the revving of an engine. She looks at Daniel, and he nods. He heard it, too. 

“We have company again,” Peggy says loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Barry approaches her. “Friendly or not?”

“Don’t know.” She looks at Mischa and says in Russian: “Do they have vehicles?”

He nods. “Two trucks. One smaller than this, one bigger with a mounted gun.”

Pinky says something in French that Peggy is sure is a series of curse words.

“Everyone in the truck,” Barry yells. He runs to the other side and hops in the passenger seat. Pinky gets in the driver’s side.

Peggy nudges Mischa, saying in Russian, “In the back. And tell me where your pistol is.”

Mischa, taken aback, pushes his hip forward. Peggy lifts his shirt and takes a pistol from the waistband of his pants.

“Is that it?” she asks. When Mischa nods, she continues: “I don’t believe you but we don’t have time to argue.” She and Daniel take Mischa to the back of the truck. With the end of her rifle, she motions for Mischa to climb up.

Dum Dum and Happy Sam hold back the fabric to allow Mischa, Peggy and Daniel to get in the back. It’s a very tight fit, with twelve women and children, Mischa and Arnaud. Four of the six seats are taken by the women, each with a child in her lap, and the other two are occupied by the restrained Mischa and Arnaud. That leaves the floor for four of the children and the four Howling Commandos. Peggy looks at Sam, who hops out and heads to the front.

The children seem to know something is amiss, as two of the younger girls start crying. Most of the other children have fear written all over their faces.

As soon as she sees Sam get in the front, she yells, “Go, Pinky!”

She hears the engine start up, cough a few times, then the shifting of gears. As Pinky is turning the truck around, he yells, “We’ve got company, straight ahead! Hang on!”

Pinky takes a hard turn, clipping a tree. The force moves everyone in the back toward one side. Peggy falls into Daniel, and he grabs her by the shoulders.

“Sorry,” she says.

“I’ve got you, Peg.” He gives her shoulders a squeeze before he lets go. 

“I know you do,” she says with a quick smile.

One of the little boys seems unfazed by all of the action. The boy, who must be five or six years old, looks at Dum Dum with growing interest. He crawls over to Dum Dum and tries to take his hat. 

“You like my hat?” Dum Dum asks in Russian.

The boy nods, and Dum Dum takes off his bowler and puts it on the boy’s head, which disappears completely under the hat.

The boy giggles and sits back on his mother’s lap, the hat still covering his head. A few of the older girls giggle as well. Peggy is glad for the needed tension-breaker but she knows it won’t last. They are out-gunned, and possibly out-vehicled, if Mischa is right about what is chasing them.

A loud pop, followed by the sound of a bullet traveling overhead, shocks everyone in the back. The little girls start crying again, and some of the bigger girls join in.

“They've got a rifle mounted, not a machine gun,” Dum Dum says. “Thank goodness for small miracles. Pinky, I know this bucket of bolts goes faster than this.”

“You and your backseat driving, Dugan. I swear one of these days I’m going to--”

“Enough, you two,” Peggy says with force. “Pinky, drive.”

“I wonder why they aren't firing pistols or rifles,” Dum Dum says in Russian, directing his gaze to Mischa. “Why only the big gun?”

Mischa shrugs. “I do not know. There is a weapons room right inside the entrance of the mine.”

“Which you likely took out with the grenade,” Peggy says. “Good call, Timothy.”

Dum Dum tips his head to Peggy just as another shot rings out, ripping a long stripe through the top of the canvas.

“That was too close,” Peggy says. She moves toward the back of the truck, sidling her way around the children. “Barry, get back here.”

Barry climbs over women, children and Dum Dum to get to the back of the truck. She holds the fabric aside a few inches, enough that Barry can push out the barrel of his M1918 BAR rifle. She can see that the truck is several lengths back but fast approaching.

Barry pulls the trigger, and Peggy hears a ‘ping’.

“Damn, think I only got the bumper,” Barry says, and he readjusts his aim. He pulls the trigger again, and she sees steam coming from under the hood. “Bingo! Hope that’s something important.”

Peggy turns toward the front. “Pinky, step on it!”

The truck lurches forward as Pinky likely has the gas pedal to the floorboard. Dum Dum is thrown back and hits his arm on the side of one of the seats. He groans and squeezes his eyes shut.

A woman, who still has the boy in Dum Dum’s hat on her lap, notices him. She looks at his arm, her head tilted to one side. She reaches out to touch Dum Dum’s arm and he pulls back.

“I am a nurse,” the woman says in Russian. “You are helping us. I can help you.”

She moves the boy off of her lap and onto the seat. With Peggy watching carefully, Dum Dum reluctantly lets the woman untie the bloodied shirt around the wound. She examines the bullet hole, poking and stretching the skin around it as Dum Dum winces.

She nods, as if satisfied with her assessment. “It should be closed, to staunch the blood flow.”

Dum Dum motions with his head to Peggy. “Behind the front seat should be a first-aid kit.” She crawls over the children and digs around, finding it and handing it to the woman.

In complete silence, and despite the bouncing of the truck over rocks and bullets from the M2 whizzing over the canvas top, the woman sews Dum Dum’s wound shut. Considering the conditions, she does as well as any surgeon.

Dum Dum watches her every move, and he nods after she is done. “Thank you,” he says in Russian.

The woman nods, then picks up the boy and places him back on her lap. 

“They’re losing ground,” Peggy says, looking out through the sliver of space between the two sides of the canvas.

“So will we, in a minute,” Pinky says. “Rough terrain ahead. I have to slow down or risk blowing a tire.”

Peggy nods. “Push it as far as you can.”

The ride becomes far worse than before. The occupants, particularly those not in seats, find themselves being lifted off the truck floor only to be slammed back down a second later. It's bone-jarring, and Peggy sees that Dum Dum is faring the least.

“You okay, Timothy?” she asks.

He cracks a weak smile. “I've been better.”

“Shit,” Sam yells, “there’s another truck in front of us!”

Peggy looked toward the front, able to make out the drab-olive of a military vehicle. It, too, had a mounted gun. Or, more accurately, a cannon. This isn't looking good, she thinks.

“Wait,” Sam says. “Unless those bastards stole it from a U.S. facility, that looks like one of ours.”

Though Dum Dum was in obvious pain, he climbs over the children and sits in the seat Barry had vacated. “He’s right. It’s the good guys.”

“Will they know we’re the good guys, too?” Daniel asks.

Dum Dum shrugs. “If they know their vehicles, they will. Pinky, flash the headlights at them. Not sure that will signal them but it’s worth a shot.”

Pinky does as he says, flashing the lights twice. The vehicle ahead of them does the same.

“Keep moving forward,” Dum Dum says. “We don’t want the bastards behind us to know they’re headed to a roadblock. Crank the wheel at the last minute.”

Pinky nods and keeps on his trajectory toward the U.S. vehicle. Another pop, and they hear Sam curse.

“Hit the engine,” he says. “Have to bail now. Hang on back there.”

Peggy gives the same message in Russian, and the women and children brace themselves. Pinky swerves hard to the left, the truck bucking up on two wheels. Everyone in the back is shoved to the left, children and adults toppling over each other. The truck comes to an abrupt stop, slamming into and over a small tree.

“Everyone okay?” Peggy asks, then repeats it in Russian. Mumbles of ‘yes’ and ‘da’ follow.

A loud boom fills the air, followed by an ear-piercing explosion. Peggy and Barry scramble up and part the canvas at the back of the truck. The vehicle following them is missing almost all of its front half. 

“Sounds like the cavalry brought some good firepower,” Barry says.

Peggy nods. “That they did.” She jumps down from the truck, slowly approaching the U.S. vehicle. Her hands are in front of her, trying to convey that she is not a threat.

A man steps from behind the truck, gun raised.

“I am Agent Peggy Carter, Strategic Scientific Reserve, on special assignment for Colonel Chester Phillips.”

“Captain Roger Brighton, Army Special Forces,” the man says. “We know about Colonel Phillips. He’s the one who contacted us. Something about he knew his team here would disobey orders and move in.”

She bit back a smile. “How did you find us?”

“Followed your tracks,” he said, pointing to the truck. “Hard to miss an M2 halftrack. Don’t see many of those in this neck of the woods.”

She points to their pursuers. “In that truck are HYDRA operatives. There is a base approximately three miles north from here. There you will find more operatives. You also will find at least two more men who are being held against their will. Their wives and children are in our truck. We have fourteen civilians. Two men, four women, eight children. All also held against their will at the base. One of my men is injured and in need to medical attention.”

Brighton nods and returns to the truck, grabbing a field phone and talking into it. Peggy returns to the truck and climbs in the back. She starts untying Mischa and works on Arnaud next.

“You did not shoot one of my men,” Peggy says in Russian. “He was caught in the crossfire between us and HYDRA. You were part of the group being held in the cage. Make sure the women and children know this.”

Mischa looks at her, his eyes wide. “Thank you.”

Peggy nods curtly, then jumps down from the truck. She is joined by Barry and Daniel. Pinky and Sam come from the front of the truck to help her get the women and children out of the truck, and she sees Dum Dum being escorted to the Army truck by two soldiers.

“What did you tell Mischa and Arnaud?” Daniel asks.

“That they are not guilty of anything but wanting the best for their families. We are not turning them in.”

Out of the line of sight of the Army soldiers, Daniel gives her hand a squeeze. “You are an amazing commander.”

She smiles. “I am, but I’m a much better agent.”

“And wife,” he says with a smile that shows just how much he loves her.


	10. Chapter 10

As she finishes the two-hour debriefing with Captain Brighton and his team, Peggy opens the hotel’s conference room door to leave. This hotel, located in nearby Grindelwald, is bare-bones and for good reason: it’s a front for the Army. The bottom floor is an actual hotel; the top two floors are occupied by offices and rooms for Special Forces, including the conference room on the third floor. They even have a separate underground entrance for military personnel. 

She walks out the door and sees Daniel sitting on a bench down the hall.

“You didn't have to wait for me here,” she says, approaching him.

He stands. “The dining hall is on this floor. Figured we could grab something to eat before turning in for the evening.”

“That sounds wonderful,” she says. “I'm famished.”

They walk in companionable silence down another hallway to the dining room. Looking inside, Peggy sees that ‘dining room’ is too kind of a description. It's a glorified mess hall, complete with a buffet-style setup and long tables and benches. With it being nearly three o’clock in the morning, the room is mostly deserted. They each get a metal tray and pile up on non-descript meat, fried potatoes and bread, then choose a table against a far wall.

They sit and immediately dig in. When Peggy thought about it, they hadn't eaten since early this morning. Or, rather, yesterday morning now.

“Definitely not up to Frau Friedmann’s standards,” Daniel says, “but it's not bad.”

Peggy mumbles in agreement around a mouthful of food. She's so hungry, she would have settled for a C-ration.

Several minutes go by as they eat until Daniel finally asks, “So how did it go? You were in there quite a while.”

“I received quite the tongue-lashing from Colonel Phillips, but I expected nothing less.” She pauses and smiles. “And in his gruff way, he did compliment the work we did, as reckless as it was.”

“Reckless is your standard M.O.,” Daniel said with a grin. “He should know that.”

Peggy shoots Daniel a wry smile. “Phillips agreed with me that HYDRA still would look for the men, given what they know. Which, actually, we should be knowing soon. Brighton told me that Mischa already is quote, singing like a bird, end quote.”

“Did he say what kind of operation HYDRA was running?”

Peggy shakes her head. “I doubt they would share that intel with me. What counts is that we’ll have it for future investigation.”

“So what's going to happen to the men and their families?”

“They will have new identities,” she says around a bite of bread, “and Phillips said they would have the choice to return to Russia or work for us in the States.”

Daniel looks shocked. “Work for us?”

“We always can use good scientists, especially those who know HYDRA secrets. No word on if any of them have taken up the offer.” She takes a bite of potatoes, then raises her hand until she finishes. “I told Brighton about the Friedmann’s hotel. They are sending someone in undercover to see if there’s HYDRA sympathizers in the family or the staff.”

Daniel nods and continues to eat. Peggy does as well, and before they know it, their trays are empty. They take the trays to the trash bin area, then leave the dining room. Their room is on the second floor, so they head to the elevator.

Once inside the elevator car, Daniel takes Peggy into his arms. “I’ve been waiting to do this all day,” he says as she wraps her arms around his neck.

“So have I.” Her lips meet his in a slow, deep kiss. It’s mere seconds before they hear the ‘ding’ of the elevator, and they move apart. No one is outside the car, so Daniel takes her hand. From the elevator, they walk down a short hallway that leads to rooms on the left and right.

“You go back to the room,” she says. “I want to check in on Timothy first.”

He nods, giving her hand a squeeze before walking down the hallway to the right. Peggy watches as he moves down the hall. He’s exhausted, she knows, and she's sure the first thing he will do is remove his leg, given his limp is more pronounced than usual.

She turns to the left and heads down to the room second from the end. Phillips is paying for one night for each of the Howling Commandos, at her insistence. They deserve more than their own rooms for a night for everything they did, though she knows they would not take anything from her. It was enough to convince them to stay at the hotel.

She knocks on the door and hears a muffled, “Enter at your own risk.”

Smiling, she opens the door to find Dum Dum seated in the bed, his back against the headboard and nose buried in a copy of LIFE magazine. He is shirtless, which is understandable, but when Peggy looks at his arm, he is missing something else very important.

“Timothy, where is your bandage?”

He shrugs, then winces. “It was itching so I took it off.”

“Timothy Dugan, that bandage was there for a reason. Do you want to get an infection?”

“It's fine,” he says, waving her off.

“I swear, sometimes you boys act like children.” She looks around the room and sees a box of gauze and a roll of medical tape on top of the dresser.

“Come on, Peggy,” Dum Dum pleads. “I don't need that.”

“Quit whining like a toddler.” She sits on the edge of the bed, then rolls out a generous length of gauze. Seeing Dum Dum’s knife on the side table, she cuts the gauze with the knife.

“What do you know about whining toddlers anyway?”

“Not much,” she says, quietly adding, “yet.”

“Yet?”

She shrugs, realizing it's her fault for opening that can of worms in front of him. She doubts he’ll let it go. “You never know what may happen in the future.”

“Are you and Daniel planning on…?”

“We have no definitive plans now,” she says shyly, “but… honestly, I hadn't thought about it since before the war, but marrying Daniel has made me rethink some of my priorities.”

A deep laugh rumbles through him. “Peggy Carter, a mother. That I would like to see.”

“You don't think I could do it?” She measures out and cuts two strips of tape.

“On the contrary. I know you can do it. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

She smiles as she puts one piece of tape on the edge of the gauze and secures it to his arm. Dum Dum winces as she secures the gauze and adds the second piece of tape.

“Daniel and I have faced so much together that children will be one more challenge we will face head-on.”

He nods. “You’ve got yourself a good man, Peggy. I mean it. Real good. I worried that after Steve…” He doesn't finish but doesn't need to.

“So did I, but Daniel found his way into my heart. He’s kind, brave, honest… a real good man, like you said. He is like Steve in some ways, yet he’s very different. He’s… Daniel.”

Dum Dum’s smile fades. “Sometimes I envy guys like him, who left the war behind. Back in the States, getting on with their lives.”

“No one really ever leaves the war behind, but we do move on.” She looks in his eyes, concerned. “What brought this on?”

He shrugs. “I don't know. Getting shot, again, doesn't help. I guess it's like you said. Sometimes priorities shift.” With a chuckle, he adds, “Besides, I think I'm getting too old for this shit.”

“Nonsense,” she says sharply. “You're in your thirties. I hardly think that's old.”

He sighs. “Maybe it's the antibiotics messing with my head. I’ve been thinking about going home, and then I think about how much more work needs to be done. Look at those men, working against their will, and their families held in a cage. I can't let that continue to happen.”

“Timothy, you are just one man,” she says softly. “A great man, undoubtedly, but there are others who can take up the fight in your place. You found Barry, who is an excellent fit for the 107th Regiment. I am confident that there are others.”

He gives her a sad smile. “This is all I know, Peggy. It's all I've done for my entire adult life. What in the hell would I do in the States? Sell insurance?”

She cracks a smile at the thought of Timothy Dugan in a suit and tie, and bowler hat, of course, lugging a briefcase around and selling life insurance policies to housewives. Her smile disappears as she gets an idea.

“Come back with Daniel and I,” she says. “Colonel Phillips and Howard are creating a new agency, and its primary focus is destroying HYDRA. You and Phillips are the two best military strategy minds I've ever known. You would be very much needed.”

He seems to consider her words, then shakes his head. “I don't know.”

“Then just think about it, please. I mean it sincerely that you would be an asset to the agency.”

“I know you do.” He smiles but it is gone quickly as a yawn stretches his features.

She pats his forearm. “Get some rest.”

He nods. “You and Daniel heading out soon?”

“This afternoon,” she replies, then takes Dum Dum’s big hands in hers. “I will miss you, Timothy, but hopefully not for long. Please think about what I said.”

He squeezes her hands. “I will, Peggy. I'll miss you, too. Miss Union Jack.” He laughs. “You thought I'd forget that, didn't you?”

She pulls her hands out of his. “I was hoping you would.” She gets up from the bed and smiles. “Take care of yourself.”

“You, too.”

She turns and walks to the door and opens it. She takes one look back at Dum Dum, whose eyes are closed, and she leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

As she walks down the hall to her and Daniel’s room, she hopes that Timothy will take her words seriously. She failed to mention that she is helping with the setup of the agency, which still is very much in its infancy. But she meant every word about him being needed. Knowing what she knows now from this mission, they need all the help they could get.

When she gets to the room, she realizes she doesn't have a key. She knocks on the door and hears Daniel’s voice: “It’s open.” 

She opens the door to see Daniel coming out of the bathroom, clad in his pajama bottoms. The pants are long but one leg is cut off a little below the knee. He is moving around on his one crutch, as the other was left behind in the mine. He moves seamlessly, between the crutch and using various furniture for support.

He sits on the edge of the bed, and she goes directly to him. His hands settle on her waist, and her hands rest on his shoulders.

“How’s Dugan?”

“He’s fine,” she says, knowing that he will be fine no matter his decision. She doesn’t mention their conversation, not because she does not want Daniel to know but because all she wants is to lay down beside her husband and fall asleep in his arms. Or maybe a little something else first…

She moves her hands to her shirt, quickly unbuttoning it and shrugging it off. His hands are at her trousers, unhooking and unbuttoning. She kicks her shoes off, then the pants, leaving her in her brassiere and panties. His hands are back on her waist, and she moves her hands into his hair, fingernails scratching on his scalp. His eyes close and he leans forward until his forehead touches her stomach.

“Tired, Daniel?”

“A little,” he says, his voice muffled against her skin. “That was a helluva mission you took me on.”

She smiles. “Typical for the Howling Commandos. Never a dull moment.”

“That’s an understatement,” he says, looking up at her. “But I did get to see you take charge, which was very enlightening.”

“So you liked it when I took charge?”

His lips curl into a grin. “It was a turn-on, I admit.”

She steps out of his embrace, eyebrow raised and sly smile on her lips. “On your back.”

His eyebrows raise as well. “Are you giving me an order?”

“Yes,” she says, her voice dropping in pitch and rising in intensity. “I said, on your back, soldier.”

He meets her gaze, his eyes smoldering, as he moves to stretch out on the bed. Her eyes follow a line from his lips, down his face, his chest, his abdomen… Her smile widens as she sees the effect her ‘order’ has had on him.

She steps up to the bed and sits on the edge, her hand following the same path her gaze did seconds before, settling right above the waistband of his pajamas. “I would say at ease, but I don’t think you can obey that order for a while.”

He laughs as he crooks a finger at her. She leans down and they continue their kiss from the elevator car, unhurried yet demanding. His hands grasp at her panties, pushing them away and she kicks them off her legs. His hands then move to her arms, and he pulls her onto him. She straddles his hips, yanking down his pajama bottoms. She rids herself of her brassiere as well, leaving nothing between them.

Daniel’s hands brush over the skin of her thighs. “Any more orders for me?”

“Yes,” she says, her hands braced on his chest. “You will make love to me until my toes curl.”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

And he enthusiastically follows her order. Twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who offered encouragement! This story was a blast to write, and now I want a Howling Commandos movie, with Peggy and Daniel as guest stars. :)


End file.
